Rainbow of Shadows
by DragonChaos
Summary: Shadow looks to past to deal with the future, gets help from Terra. GREEN is finished. Have fun reading it!
1. RED Blood

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters or places...I just own the Pike Goldop guy. A big huge THANK YOU goes out to all the people who reviewed this story and reminded me to finish this and my other stories. Life, as it always does, has been keeping me busy. Thank you for your patience! I've finished GREEN Hair. Have fun reading it! I certainly had fun writing it!

Rainbow of Shadows

_One year after the downfall of Kefka, the Heroes who had saved the world had dispersed to live out the rest of their lives in peace. Edgar and Sabin Figaro, the twins, went back to Figaro to rule their kingdom, although Sabin disappeared for many months at a time. Locke Cole and Celes Schere went back to the Solitary Island to live with Professor Cid and maybe start a town. Strago Magus and Relm Arrowny returned to Thamasa to rebuild what had been lost, and Setzer Gabbianni went back to gambling, traveling from casino to casino. Mog and Umaro said they were going back to Narche, which by this time was once again a bustling city, full of new technology and life. Cyan Garmonde left without saying very much, nor leaving any hint as to where he was going. Gau, surprisingly, asked the Figaros if he could live with them to learn some manners. Terra Branford politely refused Edgar's offer to live at the castle, saying she had some things she needed to take care of in Mobliz. One person, however, wasn't present at the celebration and the farewell party. Shadow. No one knew exactly what had happened to him during the escape from Kefka's Tower. Interceptor was their only clue, because that dog never left Shadow's side without being forced to do so. Interceptor was now living with Strago and Relm, enjoying the peace and quiet, but still missing his master. In a world where magic is now fading, Terra, now living with Katarin and Duane in Mobliz taking care of the orphans, often wonders about what happened to the black-clad man. _

RED Blood

It was mid-spring, and the snow had melted long ago. The grass was a luscious green, and the air was warm, alight with dancing breezes. A perfect day for chocobo riding. Terra Branford stepped out into the warm sunlight and smelt the wind, which was scented with the field of colorful wildflowers that was growing nearby. The light reflected off of her light green hair that flowed down her back as she walked towards one of the other houses to find Katarin. The world seemed to have been reborn after the end of Kefka, as though it had been given a new life.

Terra walked into the house, one of the newer ones that had recently been built in an effort to make Mobliz a real place for people with nowhere left to go. There had been several additions to the population, and the once little ruin of a town was brimming once again with life. There were a few shops, mostly run by older people who had lost their families during Kefka's last assault on the world. Several women had lost their children, and now found comfort in taking care of the children who didn't have mothers or fathers.

"Katarin?" Terra called into the room. It seemed much darker than outside, and Terra had to let her eyes adjust. "Are you in here?" "Terra?" Katarin rounded a corner, her once again bulging belly preceding her. Six months after Terra had returned, Katarin discovered that she was pregnant again, and she was ecstatic about the news because of the new world they were living in. Terra believed that the new baby had made it all worth it.

"What do you need?" "I'm just going to go out for a ride in the forest," Terra responded. "I have to check the area for bandits so the merchants can have a safe trip in a couple of days."

"Make sure you pack some food," Katarin smiled, realizing what Terra really wanted to do. "You might want to make yourself a picnic." She suggested with a sly smile.

"I might just do that." Terra said, smiling back. She went back outside and was nearly blinded by the intensity of the light. Terra went back to her little abode and fixed herself a small picnic and a first aid kit, just in case. She slid on some armor underneath her clothes, grabbed the Atma Weapon and put it in its sheath at her thigh, and stuffed a few daggers in the first aid kit. She then tied her hair back into a ponytail. After putting everything in a backpack, she prepared her chocobo, a gift from Edgar, and attached her bag to the saddle. She mounted and took off, waving to Duane in the fields of vegetables as she left and he waved back enthusiastically.

She rode over the fields towards the nearby Forest of Naga to check for thieves. As she rode up to it, Terra noticed that there were no sounds coming from the trees. Normally, there were a variety of noises and jubilations coming from the leafy overhang. However, it was now silent, the kind of silent after a battle. Terra urged the big yellow bird into a gallop, and sprinted on the trail through the forest. She pulled up on her chocobo when she spotted something in the water of a stream that ran alongside the trail. The water was slightly reddish, though Terra considered it might be the bad light. She knew it to be dangerous, but she hopped off of her chocobo to investigate further. As the bird pranced around nervously behind her, Terra stooped down to get a whiff of the water, scooping it up in her hands and bringing it close to her face. Using her Esper half, she concurred that it was indeed blood. She looked back at her chocobo, and realized that the smell of the blood must be what was making it nervous.

"Let's keep going." Terra soothed it by petting its soft feathers. She mounted again, and she started it going at a slow trot, trying to follow the stream without losing the trail while keeping a lookout for any other signs of trouble. Finally, she came to a small waterfall, one that could be jumped over, and noticed the red water and become darker, thicker. Terra dismounted and pulled out her blazing blue beam, advancing slowly towards the area it seemed to be coming from. She moved silently over the soft, baby grass beneath her leather-clad feet. She crouched low to the ground as she crept up over the slight rise that led to the area above the waterfall, a pond. She stayed far enough down so as to be hidden, but she could see what was around her.

The area she had just discovered looked like a battlefield. There were bodies lying about in the shallow water, approximately fifteen of them, and all had looked as though they had been ransacked after they had been killed. Most of their throats had been cut and blood was oozing slowing out of the body, like it does after the heart stops beating. Others had just been killed by other conventional means. There was a decorated sword stuck in the ground near the waterfall, and Terra began to wonder why the bandits had left that sword. It was adorned with rubies and a large diamond was encrusted in the hilt. The blade was an odd color, however, and didn't look like real steel. Terra figured that that was the reason. There was a man wearing black clothing, similar to a ninja wrap, that looked like he was still breathing. Terra disregarded her own safety and splashed through the shallow water towards where the man was lying to see if he was indeed alive. When she reached him, she noticed that his chest was indeed rising and falling, even though his breath was shallow, and he had somehow managed to keep his head above water, which, although it wasn't very deep, he still had to hold his head up to keep from drowning. She knelt beside him and put her ear to his chest, which revealed that his heart was still beating at a regular rate. Shock still hadn't set in.

"I still have a chance." Terra muttered to herself. She mentally kicked herself for forgetting the pack and ran back to get it. In moments she returned, and had already taken out the kit. Using what was left of her Magic powers, she chanted a heavy curing spell while preparing the gaze and bandages. She took some herbs, which held some healing and disinfectant capabilities and ground them up in a small bowl, and then applied them to the gaze. Terra had to tear off what was left of the man's shirt and examined his wounds. There were some minor cuts and bruises all across his chest, but there was a deep gash that started at his left shoulder and crossed his stomach to his right hip. It was bleeding profusely.

_First things first_. Terra thought as she set herself up to work. She applied the gaze with the herb powder on it to the gash and the man groaned slightly. She gently pushed it down onto the wound so the medicine could take its full effect. The man hissed slightly, and tried to relax. _At least he isn't trying to fight me off._ She wrapped the bandage around the slash, and tied it off towards his shoulder. When the man opened his eyes to see who his healer was, a look of recognition and relief washed over his face.

"I thought you were a bandit, Terra." He muttered, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his head lolled to one side. Terra forced her way through the shock and grabbed his head so he didn't breathe in water. She mentally shook herself and tried to call her chocobo over to her so she wouldn't have to carry him all the way. Thankfully, the bird answered, and trotted towards Terra at a cautious pace. When it stopped beside her, Terra hefted the man with as much care as possible onto the bird's back. She grabbed the backpack that had been left on a rock, and walked the chocobo home, holding the man so he wouldn't fall off.

About an hour later, Terra arrived at Mobliz, leading her small parade. The black of the man's suit contrasted the bright yellow feathers of the bird so much that it almost hurt to look at it in the sunlight. One of the children watched her approach and signaled her return with a shrill whistle. Duane came out of the largest house to greet her, and was astonished at what he saw. With his mouth agape, he took the chocobo from her to be bedded down for the night while Terra carried the man into the guesthouse that was soon to be an inn. She walked into the building, which was still under construction. Boards littered the floor, and sawdust could be seen floating through the air when caught in the sunlight shining through the windows. There were some beds that had already been assembled and brought into the house, some with covers and some not. She picked the cleanest bed, the one with a newly made patchwork quilt, and gently placed the man onto the bed, trying to avoid his injuries. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful, and the man awakened with a sharp yelp. Terra immediately pulled away and repeated her apologies again and again.

"Stop that." The man said quietly. He had a deep voice that was soft, but strained because he was in pain. It also sounded familiar to Terra.

"Who are you?" she asked him. "How did you know my name?" She looked hard at his face, studying his features, desperate to remember this man. She knew him, though she knew not where from. "Have I met you before?"

"I once told you that I had killed my emotions." He said forlornly. "Though they've grown back." He looked at her and watched as the realization dawned on her face, her eyes widening and her hand coming up to her face and covering her mouth in surprise.

"Shadow?" Terra whispered. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she tried to hold them back, blinking many times, but they fell anyway. "I can't believe...I'm so happy...I thought..." Shadow reached up to her face and with a rough hand wiped away her tears. She took his worn hand into hers. "I thought you were dead." She seemed to be recovering from her shock. He squeezed her hand in response.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" He looked at her through dark brown eyes. "Thank you." He said simply. He ran a hand through his black hair and pulled his hand away from Terra's. He tried to get comfortable, but with his wound it was difficult. Terra fussed about and tucked him in, muttering about how it had been cold the past few nights, and with his wounds, he should be kept warm. As she was helping him, a question popped into her head.

"Why were you with those people?" she asked as she continued to busy herself with the extra pillows. Without giving him time to answer, she proceeded to remove his bandage, and he protested loudly. "I have to check the wound, and it would be best if this was cleaned anyway." He consented, and she took the gaze off of him with no further ado. She examined the wound closely, and chanted a light cure spell on it just to make sure that there would be no infection. As she whispered the spell, he watched her every move. She noticed him staring at her and looked him straight in the eye, and he quickly averted his gaze. "You never answered my question." Grateful for the chance of conversation over the silence, Shadow hastily answered her question as she rewrapped the wound with fresh gaze and medicinal herbs.

"I was traveling with them as a bodyguard, though I failed in my job." He was genuinely unhappy about the whole ordeal. "They were nice people, too, never complained. All they wanted was to get to Mobliz to start a new life after Kefka."

"You mean they were coming here to live?" Terra asked in shock.

"Yes." Shadow replied simply. "I told them about this place, and they were interested because they had a huge family and they didn't think that the city was a good place for their little kids to grow up." Shadow had a far-off look in his eye. "Their youngest was three, a little girl named Maggie...She reminded me of..." He stopped himself before saying too much. He had forgotten that he hadn't told her about the rest of his life before he had joined the Heroes. Sensing something was wrong Terra diverted the topic.

"How many kids did they have?" she asked.

"Five. I was supposed to protect them..." The last was said more to himself than to Terra.

"It wasn't your fault, Shadow," Terra tried to comfort him. "One man against a large group of bandits hardly ever succeeds."

"I know, but...those little kids were depending on me. I don't even know what happened to them. They might be in the Underground being sold to overlords and other sickos that'll do whatever they damn well please with them." Shadow clenched and unclenched his fists in silent fury. "They don't deserve that, Terra." He looked up at her, his eyes suddenly filling with tears. "I know what's going to happen to them, Terra, I've watched it happen so many times...I used to raid those caravans, steal the children and watch the bandits beat the boys and rape the girls while they screamed...Oh God, how they screamed..."

"Shadow..."

"And then they would just kill the adults right in front of the kids, sometimes that was what my job was...I never liked it, just did it because I was gettin' paid to do it. I have so much blood on my hands...So much red blood...they may have never seen my face, but I'll never forget theirs." A single tear escaped and ran down his face. Terra reached over and wiped it away and then took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her straight in the eye.

"Shadow, don't think about that right now, you need to worry about healing yourself right now."

"I can't! I have to find them! They need me!" He struggled to get up, only to fall right back where he started. "I have to find them!"

"_We_ have to find them, but we'll do that as soon as you are able to walk, and then we can search." She tucked him back in bed and smoothed the hair back from his eyes. "Okay?"

"Alright." He sighed. "Alright." She patted his shoulder and looked out the window; it had grown dark and there was a full moon rising. She looked back at Shadow and he had already fallen asleep, breathing deeply and evenly.

"Goodnight, Shadow." Terra whispered, and she got up and walked over to one of the extra beds. She fixed the covers and got in the bed, and was asleep within minutes.


	2. ORANGE Sunsets

ORANGE Sunsets

When Terra awoke, Shadow was not in his bed, and the bed covers lay on the ground, as if he had dragged himself out of bed. She panicked, thinking that he had gone to look for the missing children by himself. "Damn you, Shadow..." Terra muttered under her breath. She quickly fixed her ragged, wrinkled clothing and rushed out the door, prepared to call for Duane. As she half ran through the door, she ran into something solid. She nearly tumbled, but was caught by strong arms, though he almost fell with her in the effort, grunting in pain as he grabbed her arm reflexively.

"You never look where you're going, do you?" A deep voice scolded.

"Shadow...I..." Terra stuttered. "I thought that you'd..."

"That I'd what?" He towered over her and raised his eyebrow. "Run off to play hero? I don't think so. My mind may be ready, but as I discovered this morning, I could barely make it out of bed." Terra looked down and saw a tray with food on the ground, neatly placed, not spilled or disturbed in any way. He saw what she was looking at and picked up the tray, grunting slightly. "It might be a little cold now, but it's breakfast." He handed it to her and walked past her. She was a little steamed at this as he turned his back to her and walked back into the guesthouse.

"I'm not your maid." She said ominously.

"I know that," Shadow didn't even turn his head. "That's your breakfast. I already ate." He continued to walk, or rather, limp, into the room full of beds and sat down on the one he had used the night before. Terra was dumbfounded, and felt incredibly stupid for assuming such a thing.

"I'm sorry." She said as she followed him into the room.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." He said plaintively. "Duane and Katarin are both good people." He decided to change the subject.

"Yes, they've helped me through it all," Terra said furtively. "They were the only friends I thought I had when the world's end came about." She smiled a little at the memory. "Everyone else thought that they were the only ones left, too."

"I knew of at least a few that were still alive, but the one that surprised me the most was Setzer." Shadow said.

"Setzer?"

"Yeah, I thought that as much as he loved his airship, he would've hung himself when it was destroyed." Terra giggled at his thought. "I'm serious."

"And what did you do during the time after the world's end?"

"Nothing really..." Shadow started fixing his bed, placing the sheets in their rightful place and then tucking them in. Terra joined in, and as soon as his bed was finished, she worked on hers. "The only productive thing I did was a small attack on Fanatic's Tower." Terra shivered.

"What were you doing there?"

"Well, I still had some magicite, and there was this guy offering one million gold pieces for the retrieval of some treasure. I took the job, only I ended up just slaughtering countless fanatics...they took a long time to recover from the blow."

"What else did you do?" Terra finished making her bed and sat down on it. She patted beside her, offering Shadow a seat, but he sat across from her.

"Everything else that I did was for my own sake, and I don't want to talk about it." He said bluntly. Terra nodded.

"Shadow, how did you escape from the Tower after we defeated Kefka?" Terra inquired.

Shadow looked at her, his eyes darker than usual. "Well, I wasn't planning on escaping, to tell you the truth." Shadow said.

Flash

The Tower was rumbling, things were falling and crashing apart around Shadow as he followed the group through the winding paths to the exit. He stopped suddenly, and knelt down in a corner, waiting for the others to go out of sight. Interceptor saw this, and, being faithful as ever, sat next to Shadow. "Go on! Get out of here! You have to take care of the girl!" Shadow yelled at him. The big dog hesitated, but he finally left, running after the group. "You hear me, Baram? I'm finished with running! From now on I'm going to face up to everything I've done..."

Flash

"I had a vision...Sort of. I figured out that I had a lot to atone for, many sins. Still do. When I saw the airship take off, I knew it was almost time, so I went as high as I could go, so I could see everything one last time."

Flash

Shadow was climbing to the top of the tallest spire. He stopped and looked out over the world, seeing in it's fullest what it had become after the Collapse. He'd never seen the world like this, and he realized he had so much to do. "I have to make up for all the mistakes I made, Elly...You have to help me this one last time..." An explosion rocked the Tower, and Shadow was sent flying into the air, over the edge and into the abyss...

Flash

"I was thrown from the Tower by an explosion, and somehow I lived to tell about it." Shadow finished his not-so-detailed explanation of his escape.

"I'm glad that you survived, Shadow, everyone was worried about you." Terra looked down at her feet. "Well, I have to get some work done around here," Terra stood up. "Lots of people are moving here, and we need to finish some houses..."

"I'll help." When he saw her about to protest, he intervened. "I have to do something to get myself back into shape, and I promise I won't overdo it, okay?" He stood up and walked away from her before she could say no.

It was time for the merchants to travel through the Naga Forest, and the preparations were almost complete. Because of the people that were now living in Mobliz, there were many different things for the merchants to wheel and deal. The hand made silks, quilts, food, paper, and parts for machines were some of the rarities. Terra knew that they would sell for decent amounts of money, resulting in more funds for the town. She also knew that because they would sell so well, the bandits would be keeping an eye out for such a prize.

Shadow knew that they would be attacked; it was only a matter of when and where. He could also tell that the vendors were nervous. They did not want to go through the forest after the massacre the day before. Stories were already flying about the small town and becoming more outrageous with each tale. Shadow's most recent account of the horrific event was that the bandits were seven feet tall, with humongous swords that could cleave a man in half without hardly any effort at all. In truth, the bandits were all the same as the men in the village, although they were trained to kill.

Kill, steal, and get money. That had been Shadow's motto for so long, it had been hard for him to change, but he did it because he knew there was a time and place for everything, and he believed that when he met Sabin outside of the mad hermit's house. It was fate. A signal that he needed to change and stop being selfish.

It was an hour before the merchants departed, and they were putting together a team with which to defend the merchants and the goods. Shadow was watching through his mask from afar.

"All right everybody," Terra stood in the middle of a crowd of people. "I need ten to fifteen men to help transport and protect this cargo and these people to the town of Tzen, then to Nikeah, and finally to South Figaro, where the items will be sold. You all know what happened in Naga Forest, and I'm sure you've heard the fantastic stories about the bandits, but according to...an eyewitness account, they are just like anybody else. They're not invincible. They are mortal, just like you and me. I think that once you are past the forest, the journey will be easy. Who will go?" She scanned the crowd, and a couple of hands went up. "Alright, Duane will supply you with weapons in the town hall." The men left the crowd and walked towards the town hall. "Anybody else?" Terra asked.

Just as a few hands went up, Terra heard three shrill whistles coming from the watchers, who were just children, all around the village. Something was wrong. She saw one little boy running towards her yelling her name. She ran to him and caught him in her arms. "There are men, bandits, they're..." The boy was breathing so hard he couldn't speak. Terra knew what was happening.

"Katarin, get all the children inside! Take some men with you to protect them!" Terra yelled at the top of her lungs. "Grab weapons, we have to protect the wagons!" She ran into the town hall and yelled at Duane to get the weapons outside to anyone who could fight. Terra ran to the secret basement where the children were. "Katarin! Are they all here?" Katarin looked panicked. "I can't find Cloud or Squall...Or Tasha!" Katarin said with fear in her eyes. Terra gasped; Cloud and Squall were two of the older boys who were two of the four watchers. Tasha was Katarin's little girl.

"I'll find them, Katarin, just look after these children!" Terra said. Katarin nodded, and grabbed a knife. Terra turned, grabbed the Atma Weapon and left the room, going outside to find the children. Some of the bandits were already attacking the caravan, but Duane and some men were able to defend it decently. Terra was glad that Duane's training was finally paying off. By now, the chaos was everywhere, people running in different directions, screams, battle cries...it was hard for Terra to discern the ally from the enemy. She frantically looked about, searching the sea of clashing steel for the missing children.

"Cloud! Squall! Tasha!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Off in the distance she heard the shrill whistle, but just barely. She ran in the direction of where the sound had originated. She slashed her way through the crowd, making her way out with only a few minor cuts. She recognized a few of the men that had volunteered earlier and realized they had been wounded. She cast a Cure3 spell on them to help, but continued to look for the children. She arrived finally at the base of the lookout cliff and called their names again. This time the whistle came back much louder. Terra slung the sheathed Atma Weapon over her shoulder and scaled the small cliff face.

She finally reached the top and brought herself to her feet. She looked up and saw the two boys being held at the knifepoint of a very large man with scars all over his face. A smaller man held Tasha. Out of nowhere, more bandits appeared, all holding weapons ranging from dirks to crossbows. Terra knew she was in trouble and outnumbered. She drew the Atma Weapon from its sheath and held herself in a ready position, holding the blazing blade in one hand. Seeing this, the man laughed.

"You really mean to fight us?" The man chuckled. "My dear little girl, we have you outnumbered twenty to one. You can't be serious. Just hand over that lovely sword and give yourself up. If you do, I promise I won't let anyone besides me touch you."

"I don't think so..." Terra growled. She felt herself morphing, but kept it in check. She didn't want to give them the advantage of knowing her power.

"Aunty Terra! Don't let them hurt Cloud and Squall!" Little Tasha cried out after she bit the man who had been holding her and kicked him in the shin. With that distraction, Terra went in swinging.

Shadow had been fending them off for about forty-five minutes, and he wasn't sure he could hold out much longer. His wounds were not fully recovered yet and he was not executing his skills very quickly. _What I wouldn't give to have Interceptor here right now_. The ninja sighed inwardly as another swarm of bandits surrounded him and a few other men. Duane was in his group. He was a decent fighter though he seemed rather appalled at Shadow's methods of killing. Shadow didn't blame him. He quickly took care of a few bandits and fought one off of another man's back. They finished the swarm off and looked around. Duane and the others ran off to help a smaller group of villagers defend the town hall, but Shadow stayed behind. Something was wrong. He could sense it. Terra...He heard fighting coming from above on a small mesa that served as a watchtower. He hurried to see what was going on up there.

"AAHHGghh..." Terra wrapped her arm around her stomach and fell to her knees, gasping for breath. She only had time to chant a light cure spell before the bandit attacked again. She had killed several of them, but more seemed to appear from thin air to take the place of the dead. She barely had time to raise her sword to block the incoming blow. She tried to get to her feet, but didn't have the strength. I guess I have to... Before she could make up her mind, and sudden blaze of fire swept across the mesa taking out more than half of the remaining bandits. The fire didn't touch her but was all around her, taking the man in front of her and sweeping him into oblivion. Shadow was suddenly at her side, with the two boys.

"Tasha..." Terra moaned. "I know, Terra, don't worry." Shadow reassured her. "You two get her back to the town hall, you hear me?" Shadow said to the boys. They both nodded and helped Terra to her feet. Terra protested, but she couldn't do anything to stop them. Shadow watched them leave, and then went to look for the man that had taken the little girl.

_You've crossed the line, asshole. _Shadow stepped through the smoke and back into the darkness.

Terra hadn't seen Shadow since the battle at the watchtower, nor had she seen the little girl, Tasha. The merchants had left the next day, managing to save a decent amount of their wares that would fetch enough money to make the trip worth the effort. Duane and Katarin were desperate to know what had happened to Tasha, and were filled with angst and fear. Days passed with no news.

A new caravan of people arrived at Mobliz a couple of days later, filled with many small children without parents. There were quite a few teenagers, which was surprising, because most of the teens had been taken for the Empire's war effort, mostly for the science department.

The man in charge insisted that he speak with Terra immediately. Terra had mostly recovered from her wounds, the worst being a gash across her stomach, so she agreed to meet with him in Duane and Katarin's house, which was the only house that was refurbished and complete.

"What is it that you need, sir?" Terra was used to people being uneasy at the idea of moving so many people from one area to the next.

"There were bandits in the woods." The man said simply. "And I understand that you have an extraordinary power." He waved his hands in the air.

"I have to stay here. All I can do is patrol." She explained calmly. She didn't know how the secret of her power got out, but she figured that it must be a rumor that had spread.

"But you have friends that can help?" The man persisted.

"They deserve a break from being heroes." She answered. "Why does it matter to you so much? You're here, you don't have to worry about the bandits anymore."

"I have three more caravans coming through, each with about forty people. One caravan was almost completely destroyed the other day, no survivors." Terra knew which one he was talking about.

"I saw that one right after it happened."

"Then you know what these murderers are doing. Your village was even attacked!"

"Yes."

"Why aren't you doing anything about it?"

"I told you! I patrol! I can't do anything else because I have to stay here to protect Mobliz!" Terra was losing her cool. She was tired of dealing with this sort of thing.

"Can't you hire someone?"

"I..."

"She already has." A deep voice cut in. "She hired me the day the bandits destroyed that caravan." Terra whirled around to see Shadow dressed all in black, complete with his mask. The man looked as though he'd seen a ghost, and swallowed hard. "It's been taken care of, so go take care of your own problems." Shadow nodded towards the people trying to set up their makeshift camps among other things.

"I should be getting paid extra for this..." The man muttered as he walked out the door. As soon as the man had left, Shadow nearly collapsed onto the floor. Terra managed to reach him in time and support him enough to keep him from hitting the ground.

"Shadow...what happened?" Terra asked, a little panicked. "Where's Tasha?"

"I...I don't know..." Shadow grunted as Terra helped him into a seat. "They were waiting for me to follow, I was ambushed." Shadow put his head in his hands. "I failed again...I couldn't save her..."

"Shadow, it's alright, we'll get her back." She put her arm around him, trying to comfort him. He shook her off, trying to stand up, only to lose his balance and sit back down. "Who was that guy?" Terra inquired, trying to change the subject. "I've never seen him helping with the other caravans before."

"His name's Pike Goldop." Shadow explained. "He was in charge of the caravan I was hired to protect. He probably thought I was dead."

"Why are you wearing your mask?" Terra turned Shadow to face her.

"Because there are some people who don't need to know who I really am."

"I don't know who you are...Not really anyway."

"I'll tell you everything someday. Now's not the time. First I have to explain to Duane and Katarin what happened to Tasha."

It was ugly. Terra had watched the whole ordeal unfold in front of her. Duane and Katarin were both upset at the news, which was to be expected. They weren't the only ones. Terra had been distressed for some time, though she tried not to show it. She was trying to be strong for the children and Katarin. Shadow told them the whole story, how he had saved Terra and sent her back with the two boys, and the incidents that unfolded afterwards, though in the last part Terra could tell that he left out some details. Duane said that if it had been Terra instead of the 'Dark Stranger,' everything would have been fine. He even went so far as to accuse Shadow of helping in the kidnap of Tasha and actually being a member of the bandits that had attacked Mobliz. Terra was ready to fight Duane over that one, but Shadow raised his hand to stop her. He told them that it most likely was his fault, but he certainly had not helped with the kidnapping. He told them that he would get Tasha back, no matter what. Then Shadow left, saying he would leave first thing in the morning.

It was evening, and the sun was starting to set. Pike Goldop had helped everyone to get situated, and had already departed for wherever he had come from. The people were all tired, and most of them had already gone to sleep, and the rest were building campfires. Katarin had been taking care of the smaller children, while Duane helped the adolescents to get everything organized. Shadow had helped a bunch of men finish up one house, avoiding Duane, and a large family had moved in. Terra was exhausted from cooking meals for all of the new members of the populace, and she was taking a break at her favorite spot on the hill to watch sunsets.

She gathered a few logs and set them together. The sun set lower, and the clouds and the sky turned orange. It was her favorite place to sort things out, and she had been going there a lot lately. Terra settled down to watch the sunset, leaned up against a boulder and folded her hands behind her head.

"I've always loved orange sunsets." That deep voice said from above Terra, though it didn't startle her this time. She was getting used to him sneaking up on her. She looked up at him squatting on top of the boulder. She was happy to see that he had removed his mask.

"Want to join me?" She patted the ground next to her. He jumped down, landed silently next to her, and sat down. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, both enjoying the sunset, but finally Terra asked a question. "So who does Pike work for, anyway?"

"He actually works for the Figaros."

"So Edgar's heading it up, then?"

"Yeah, he said that Mobliz is the top priority town to rebuild, and he said it would be a good idea if it was repopulated." Shadow shrugged. "I think he just wanted to help you out, but not only that, he would be the legit ruler of this area."

"Yes, but where are all of these people coming from?"

"They're people that were taking refuge at Figaro Castle. Everyone heard that it was a safe haven because Kefka couldn't touch it...what with the whole submersible thing."

"I see. How'd you get involved?"

"I'd heard about the relocation project, and I had a feeling that there would be someone that could make a profit off of the deaths of these people, so I volunteered to help. Edgar was a little surprised to see me, but Sabin said that he knew I was alive." Shadow shrugged. "I guess I really didn't help all that much anyway."

"That's not true, I'm sure you made it tough for those bandits." She elbowed him lightly in the ribs, making him grimace. "I know they made it tough for you." She looked at him sideways smiling, and then realized what she had said as he flinched a little at her jest. "I didn't mean..."

"I know...It's okay...Spilt milk. The only thing I can do now is find the bastards. Then it's payback time." He clenched his fists.

"Shadow..."

"I know, I know..." Shadow look towards the forest. "I should be trying to get past this vengeance thing. But I've seen too many things to just walk away from this." Terra saw that his fists were still clenched, and she covered his fist with her hand, unfolding it and interlacing her fingers in his. He looked down at her hand and squeezed it with his own. She laid her head on his shoulder and the scent of her hair drowned Shadows senses. He stood up suddenly, realizing what was happening, letting her almost fall over before she caught herself. "Terra, you don't know...anything about me..."

"Then tell me!" She stood up and grabbed his hand again, forcing him to look at her. His brown eyes were black in the fading light, and he was looking at her intensely, accepting her challenge.

"I'm a murderer, an assassin, a thief, and a coward! You still want to know more?!" He kept going before she could answer. "I'm also a pirate, a rapist, a deserter, an overlord of the black market, a slaver..."

"But you are also a hero!" Terra cut in. At this he yanked his hand away and started stalking his way down the hill. She followed. "It's true, Shadow! You are one of the greatest men I know! You have courage, you see something that has to be done and you do it with no qualms about yourself at all! You have friends that care about you, and you care about them, even though you won't admit it!"

"Dammit, Terra! Don't!" He stopped abruptly and whirled around to face her in a menacing glare. "Don't!"

"Don't what, Shadow? Don't care? Well, I'm sorry, but I do care, and you're just gonna have to live with that!" Shadow turned away again, but she grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. "I know _you_ care! But you're just too stubborn to admit it!" She stomped past him with tears welling in her eyes, but he grabbed her shirt and pulled her to him, holding her there against her struggles.

"That's just it, Terra, I care. That's why I need you to stop being you." He said softly. She stopped fighting him and a tear slid down her cheek, and he brought his hand up and wiped it away. "I'll only make you cry...and dammit, you're so much more beautiful when you smile." He smiled a little, trying to get her to smile.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She looked up at him with tears in her sea green eyes, and it took his breath away. The sun was falling behind the black mountains, and there was just enough light left to catch in her eyes, making them sparkle a little bit.

"Of course." He said practically as he stroked her green hair. He felt his heart skip a beat and stopped himself, pushing her away. "Almost every man who has ever seen you thinks that."

"Well..."

"It's late...Go to bed." He ordered.

"I'm not taking orders...this is my town." She said defiantly.

"If you don't go voluntarily, I'll make you...and things could get ugly." He threatened in a husky voice. She caught his suggestion and mumbled a response. She walked down the hill, not looking at him.

"I'm going with you tomorrow, Shadow," Terra called over her shoulder. "And there's nothing you can do about it!" He stared after her, then walked up the hill to where she had made a fire pit. He lit it, and stayed the night on the hill.


	3. YELLOW Bellied

YELLOW Bellied

The next morning, Shadow had the supplies packed and ready to go on the back of a chocobo named Hal. Terra was taking her chocobo, Ed, who she'd affectionately named after its donor. Duane had been expressing some concern about her going too, due to the fact that they might be defenseless against another attack. Terra told him that they had no reason to attack the town again, at least not until they had recovered from the last one. She reassured him that she would be home in at least two weeks, maybe longer, and she said that she felt partly responsible for Tasha's disappearance. Katarin told Terra she wanted her to stay home, but Terra refused.

"I have to go, Katarin," Terra explained. "I just have to."

"Don't tell me you're doing this for that stranger." Duane gave her an annoyed look.

"That's part of it, but Tasha is what's important for me at this point." Terra told him. "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible." She kicked Ed into gear and she rode up the hill where Shadow was waiting. "Hold down the fort while I'm gone!" Terra called to them. They both waved.

"You better take care of Terra, dark man!" Duane yelled as they rode away. Shadow waved his arm once and kicked his bird into a gallop and Terra nudged hers to keep up. They ran through fields, over streams, and through some rolling hills until they stopped in front of Naga Forest. It was starting to get dark, and some thunderheads were making their presence known.

"I don't want to go through that forest in the dark," Shadow said. "Not on these yellow birds."

"Yeah," Terra said. "Let's make camp up on that hill." Terra pointed towards a rise a little ways off. "There's some natural shelter up there, a small alcove."

"Alright, lead the way." Shadow said. Terra nudged Ed to take the lead and ran up the small hill. Sure enough, there was a outcropping of stone that served as a roof. They attached their chocobos to a smaller rock that was underneath the outcrop.

"We need to make a fire before it starts raining." Shadow said. "I'll gather up some wood, you set up the camp."

With that Shadow was gone. Terra started to clean out an area to sleep, and an area to have the fire. She pondered the events from the night before. _He's seems so distant. He's probably mad_. Terra sighed inwardly, waiting anxiously for him to return. _I need to talk to him...If I don't I think I'll go crazy_.

Shadow picked his way through the forest, searching for relatively dry and termite-free wood for the fire. He was trying not to think; he wanted to avoid a confrontation with himself, as strange as that may sound. He wanted to tell Terra so many things. _How can I tell her...She wouldn't understand. She just too naïve and...too innocent...She doesn't need me corrupting her. I would just ruin her purity_. He shook his head angrily at himself. By this time he had collected ten medium-sized logs, and he started to head back to camp.

Terra heard the rustling and look up, reaching for her dagger in her boot. She was relieved to see it was Shadow returning from his task and her body finally relaxed. She had been so tense lately that she had many kinks throughout her body and she felt better whenever she was around Shadow.

"I was starting to worry Shadow." She said.

"Sorry, I was thinking about things." He apologized. He walked over and sat in front of the makeshift fire pit, and started to arrange the wood.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She asked. She watched him as he moved soundlessly around the camp, setting up his bedding and grabbing two pieces of flint.

"Maybe later, but right now I just want to get this fire started before it rains." As if on cue, Terra saw some raindrops land on the dirt, making it spotted. She could smell the ozone, and she inhaled deeply, trying to get all of it in.

"I love the smell of rain." She said, looking out from their shelter into the plains they had ridden across. "It seems like the whole world is cleaner after a rain shower." Shadow grunted in reply as he squatted in front of the logs he had arranged and began striking the two pieces of flint together. There were sparks, and within no time, there was smoke. Shadow blew on it to get it to rise in flame, and accidentally blew too hard. The smoke dissipated into the wet air.

"Dammit." He muttered under his breath. He was finally successful on the third try, and soon there was a blaze. He walked over to the chocobos and grabbed some food out of the saddlebags. He returned and sat next to Terra, prodding the fire with a stick. He glanced sideways at her, and then out to where she was gazing. "What's so interesting out there?" He asked, trying to break the silence.

"Look, the world's being renewed." She said distantly. "When Kefka destroyed everything, it hardly ever rained, and that's one of the reasons the world was dying. But now, it rains all the time, and I think the world is trying to renew itself." She looked away from the fields and towards the food, hearing her stomach growl. Apparently, Shadow heard it as well, and he laughed a little. "When's dinner?" She asked shyly.

"Soon, very soon." He said, still chuckling to himself. "Shadow...what happened, at the battle I mean, after the boys took me to the town hall?"

"I..." Shadow grimaced at the memory, trying to give himself the courage to go on. "I followed them, thinking that I would have the element of surprise on my side. But...that wasn't the way it worked out."

Flash

The smoke cleared for an instant, and Shadow thought that he saw his target just ahead of him with the little girl squirming in his arms. The man with scars on his face laughed once, then whirled to stare at Shadow. Caught by surprise, Shadow froze, unable to move. He saw the face of Tasha, tears streaming down her face, screams echoing in the darkness, though Shadow couldn't hear her screams because of the thundering of blood in his ears. The smog returned, and covered both parties in blackness once again. Shadow moved forward, hoping to get the man off guard by attacking so quickly, but he found himself being stabbed in the shoulder by a man holding a dirk. The man was ugly, with yellowed teeth that were bared in an evil smile. His body smelt of chocobo manure, and his hand had blood on it, Shadow's blood, as it plunged the small blade deeper into the shoulder of his victim.

With surprising strength, Shadow pushed him away, and the force of the knife leaving his shoulder burned like a wildfire that spread throughout his body in a wave of pain.

"Urgh..." Shadow dropped to his knees, holding his shoulder with his good hand. He looked up to see yet another bandit coming at him; this one hefted an axe aimed for Shadow's neck.

_Flash_

"Anyway, there were several more of them, and I was wounded, so I did my best to dodge my way through them and use the smoke to my advantage." Shadow explained in a monotone, though Terra could tell that his emotions were bubbling just below the surface. "I made my way to an area where there was no smoke, and I saw a caravan."

"A caravan?" Terra was confused.

"Yes, it was the caravan that I was originally assigned to protect, but all the adults that they took were dead, save a few of the women." Shadow looked into the fire, avoiding Terra's inquiring gaze. "I saw Maggie..."

"Oh, Shadow..." She gently laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She was alive?"

"Yes, she was alive, but she looked like a ghost, just staring at nothing. She used to laugh and giggle and..." By this time, tears had begun to fall from Shadow's dark brown eyes. He angrily wiped them away, and continued with his story. "Tasha had been thrown in with the children, and they were already moving off."

_Flash_

Shadow crept up behind the moving caravan of cages as swiftly and deftly as he could with all of his various wounds. He ignored the pain as he broke into a full out run to get enough momentum to leap onto the top of the cages that were once used for transporting people to Mobliz. They were heading for Naga Forest, and this registered somewhere in Shadow's blurred conscience. Blood pounding in rage but not in fear, he jumped onto the head of the driver of the rearmost wagon full of prisoners. He crushed his skull with one strong blow to the cranium, and Shadow tossed the body over the side. He halted the chocobo that was pulling the carriage and jumped off the seat. He ran to the side of the carriage and tried to pry open the door, but his body was weak from the loss of blood. The red ooze was soaking his clothing around his shoulder and he could feel it creeping down through to his belt. With every yank and pull he could feel it being drained from his body and being soaked up by his ninja wrap.

He was hit over the head with the hilt of a sword, and Shadow's world went black.

_Flash_

Shadow paused for a moment.

"Well?" Terra knew there had to be more. "You were gone for a few days, and all that you've told me all happened in one night. Where were you? What happened?"

"I woke up with my mouth covered and my arms and legs bound, and my head hurt so bad that it made me dizzy to try to open my eyes and look around." Shadow rubbed the back of his skull with his hand and winced. "Still stings, but I've had worse. Anyway, my wounds had been bandaged, and I was really confused as to where I was for awhile."

_Flash_

Shadow opened his eyes, only to shut them again when he felt a sharp pain from the light and from his head injury. He could tell he was moving, but he was lying down, so he figured he was an uncovered wagon.

"'ey! 'e's awake!" The loud voice cut through Shadow's thoughts like a knife. He felt a rough hand grab the knot at the back of his mask. Shadow's head was jerked up fairly gently, but to him it felt as though his head was being ripped off.

"He's still alive, eh?" The deep, grumbling voice sounded distantly familiar to Shadow, like a voice from another life. Shadow opened one eye to see who this man was, and he saw the man with scars on his face staring at him as though he were under a microscope. "There ya are." His grin was cruel, and the glint in his ice-blue eyes sent chills down Shadow's spine. "How ya feeling, Clyde?" Shadow's body went rigid at the sound of his old name. "Whatsa matter? Ya don't recognize me, old buddy?" His smile widened. "Well, I've added a few scars to my collection, that maybe why you're having a tough time. Well, that and you're little knock to you're head!" He laughed loudly and let go of Shadow's head, letting it drop back down the rough wooden boards of the wagon. He went unconscious the moment he felt the pain flare up behind his eyes.

_Flash_

Shadow had left the part out about the man calling him Clyde, since he still didn't know if he should tell Terra about his old life, before he became Clyde's shadow.

"How did you get away?" Terra persisted, eager to know what happened to her friend. "Shadow?"

"Sorry, I was just trying to put the events in the right order." Shadow broke out of his short reverie and looked at Terra. "Pretty simply, actually, I overheard a bandit talking about where they were headed when I became conscience again and I used some of my Ninja techniques to free myself from my bindings."

"What about the people? What happened to them?"

"I left them behind, I ran away like a yellow bellied coward." Shadow grimaced. "I was too weak to do anything but save myself." His gaze returned to the fire.

"At least you know where they're headed, right?" Terra's hand still rested on his shoulder, her thumb caressing his wound a little bit. Neither of them really noticed it though.

"They're headed for cave near South Figaro. They're meeting one of their buyers there."

"Then we have to beat them there." The look in Terra's eyes was one of steely resolve. Shadow had only seen her like this once before.

_Right before we fought Kefka. Terra has really changed since I first met her..._

"Shadow? Why are you staring at me?" Terra inquired. "Are you OK?" Shadow blushed, and turned away so she couldn't see his red face. "Shadow, what is it?" She turned his face back to her with a gentle hand under his chin. He was afraid to look at her, but she wouldn't let him look anywhere but in her eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Why?" Shadow breathed. "Why are you...?" Terra just stared back at him with kind sea green eyes. "Why are you so kind? Why are you so wonderful?" Surprised by his words, Terra pulled her hand away, blushing furiously.

"What do you mean?" She stood up and walked over to the edge of their shelter; the rain was really pouring, and Terra could hear the thunder off in the distance, the low rumble of the skies. Shadow was suddenly behind her with his hand on her shoulder and tears in his eyes. She turned to look up at him, surprise written all over face when she noticed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm...I'm just a coward..." Shadow whispered. Terra shook her head and put her hand on his rough cheek, stroking his face and feeling the scruff of a three-day-old beard.

"No, Shadow," she said reassuringly. "No you're not a coward." He looked at her for what seemed like an eternity, and she could see the anger in his eyes. He turned violently away from her and stalked a few steps away and then whirled on her.

"What do you know!? You're Terra, brave Terra, who's never run away from a fight, always faced up to her fears. You fight for what you think is right, you fight to protect other people! And what am I compared to you? NOTHING! I'm a selfish bastard who does nothing but fend for himself! Why are you always trying to tell me what I am when you have no idea the hell you're talking about!?" Shadow's voice was low and threatening, and it frightened Terra, but she wasn't about to back down from him.

"I know what it's like to be a coward, Shadow! I hid from what I was for a year! I hated myself, I didn't want to be what I was. The only reason I stayed to help those children is because I didn't want to be alone. THAT was the ONLY reason! Not because I'm selfless, not because I'm brave, but because I was a selfish coward! It took me a failed fight with Phunbaba to realize that I had to fight to protect what I held most dear. Do don't tell ME that I don't know what it's like, because I do!" Terra tried to calm her anger, but she found it difficult to do so. Her stubbornness was preventing her from thinking logically. "I'm sorry that you've had a rough past, and I know that you have your reasons, no matter how ridiculous, for keeping it from me, but wallowing in self-pity will get you nowhere!"

"Self-pity? That's what you think this is?"

"What else could it be?" She was standing directly in front of him now, staring up into smoldering black eyes that glared back into her stormy sea green ones. "Why don't you stop running?"

"I have stop running!" Shadow exclaimed. "Why else would I still be here? I came back to help, why is that so hard for you to accept?"

"Because the only way to truly accept your past is to face it! The fact that you're afraid to tell me anything proves that you haven't faced anything!"

"You don't...you can't..." Lightning split the sky, but neither of them noticed. The firelight danced in Terra's eyes, and he felt a rising in his chest, though not from anger. "I...Terra..." Her eyes softened at his sad expression, and she drew him into her arms in a warm embrace. She felt his body shudder with sobs, and she felt the wetness of his tears against her neck. She said nothing save for some comforting words, and she stroked his soft black hair as she held him close.

When his sobs had subsided, they stayed embraced for a long while, and much was said even though neither of them spoke.


	4. GREEN Eyes

**GREEN Eyes**

Terra awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast. The sun had barely risen over the hills, and the sky was still pink and yellow. There were only a few clouds left from the storm the night before, and the earth smelled like it was brand new. Despite how long it took her to fall asleep after her argument with Shadow, Terra felt rested. She climbed out of her sleeping bag and began to roll it up. As she was doing so, she noticed Shadow feeding the chocobos.

"Good morning!" Terra said cheerily. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't." Shadow responded without turning around to look at her. "How about you?"

"Why didn't you sleep?" Terra was worried. They were going to need all their strength for this journey, and Shadow needed the rest more than Terra did, considering how bad his wounds had been and how many he'd had. "Shadow..." She prompted.

"I kept watch, and I didn't want to wake you since you didn't fall asleep until late," he told her. "Could you make sure our breakfast isn't burning? I had to take care of the chocobos; they were getting hungry when they smelled food." He tossed a half-grin in her direction as she tied her sleeping bag together and brought it over to the chocobos to be attached to the saddle. Shadow took it from her and Terra went to oversee the cooking process.

"So you never answered my question." Shadow said as he sat down next to the fire.

"I slept like a rock once I finally fell asleep," she answered. "Food's ready." She held up a bowl and slopped some oatmeal into it. "Here you go." Terra handed it Shadow, and he grabbed a spoon from the food satchel lying by the campfire. She dished some out for herself, and they ate together in a comfortable silence.

The chocobos made very little sound as they half-galloped through Naga Forest. Shadow lead the way since he knew a faster route through the forest, and plus he wanted to avoid the site of where Terra had found him just a few weeks ago. They made very little conversation, partly for the sake of going hopefully unnoticed, and also because both of them were still deep in thought about the previous night's events.

They approached a clearing, and then Shadow explained that beyond the clearing they had to go through a small cave that led to the other side of the forest. They would have to walk their chocobos through it since chocobos hate caves they become jumpy and unpredictable. They dismounted and made their way across the clearing cautiously, keeping an eye out for any who might ambush them from hiding spots in trees or bushes around the edge of the wide open space. They were a third of the way across when Shadow stopped suddenly and Terra ran into him from behind.

"What is it?" Terra glanced around her in all directions, her senses on full alert searching for any sign of danger.

"Do you feel that?" Shadow whispered. "Rumbling under our feet..." The last Terra had to strain to hear, but she focused her attention to the earth beneath her feet.

"Yeah, there's something wrong..." Terra was cut off by a loud thunderous roar that emanated from all around them. "What the...?!"

"Let go of the birds!" Shadow exclaimed, and Terra realized she hadn't noticed Ed pulling and yanking on his reins. She tried to release the great yellow bird, but with all of its struggle, the chocobo had entangled Terra's hand in the reins and she couldn't free herself. Terra tried to calm the bird, but the rumbling only seemed to be increasing, and Ed was starting to really panic. Terra could see that her fingers were turning blue. The chocobo was about to drag her away with it, but in a swift motion, Shadow cut the leather with his Striker, freeing Terra's hand. Just as the bird ran off, they heard a scream, a scream like that of a banshee.

"Oh, no..." Terra breathed as she turned to look up at the monstrosity that was making itself known. It screamed again, and it brought the pair to their knees. It had the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower half of a snake. In the place of hair, little vipers sprouted in all directions, all their little eyes focused on the two heroes, and in unison with the screams they hissed. "Well, at least now I know why they call it Naga Forest." Terra said cynically.

"Shall we?" Shadow brandished the Striker and it flashed in the sunlight, matching the glint in Shadow's eye and the wicked smile on his face. Terra couldn't help but smile back. She pulled the Atma Weapon from its sheath, and nodded. They leapt into battle simultaneously, and the Naga screamed a battle cry.

From his hidden position, the man camouflaged in tree leaves and various other vegetation watched the woman with green hair and the man in black attack the huge snake woman. They charged the monster, and she screamed, knocking them back.

"The boss' Naga Witch was a good idea..." The man chuckled a little to himself. "She'll make quick work of 'em." He held in his hands a video recording device, small enough to carry around, and used only when the boss needed proof of someone's death. The man watched the events through this camera, and smiled evilly when he saw the green-haired woman get thrown away from the battle, badly wounded. But, much to the surprise of the spy, she stood up and chanted a Magic spell. "Holy..." He gasped. "Hmm..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "This just keeps getting better and better!"

As Terra chanted her Cure3 Magic, Shadow kept the snake-woman busy with some Shurikens. She finished and felt her wounds closing up and healing very quickly, and the blood that had been running down her side ceased its flow. She turned her attention back to the battle at hand, and watched in horror as the Naga screamed just as Shadow jumped onto her head. His body slumped forward, unconscious from the force of her banshee-like voice.

"Shadow!" Terra yelled out hoarsely. "Shadow wake up!" He didn't move, at least not voluntarily. The snake picked him off of her head with her scaly hand and clawed fingers, and smelled him like one smells food before they take a bite. "NO!" Terra screamed.

The wind picked up around her, whipping her hair around her face and causing sticks and leaves to fly in all directions. A purplish light engulfed her, and the sky darkened while her body became pink and magenta, and her clothes disappeared. Her sea-green eyes had become stormy with rage, and her hair also turned into magenta, spiking out in all ways possible. She smiled at the monster with deadly fangs. The transformation complete, the wind died down, and the sky brightened once again. There was an explosion of energy that swept out from Terra's body towards the Naga, knocking Shadow out of its grasp and into the grass nearby. When Terra saw Shadow out of harm's way, she launched a full-scale barrage of Fire3 explosions right into the snake's face.

"I'm afraid the only thing you will be eating today is smoke," Terra told the beast as it cowered in fear of the pink creature. The bombs had stopped falling from the sky, and Terra now floated in front of the Naga, Atma Weapon in hand and ready to strike. She stared down at the hideous half-woman, half-viper until it returned her gaze. It growled fiercely, and that was the last sound it made as the Atma Weapon cut through the air to strike down the creature.

Once the head of the Naga lie beside its limp body, Terra flew over to Shadow's unmoving form.

"Shadow! Are you all right?" She began shaking him, which elicited a low groan that barely passed through his lips. "Shadow..." He looked up at her as she supported his head, and the look of surprise on his face only lasted a moment.

"You scared the hell outta me, being all Morphed like that." Shadow said with a half-smile. "I thought for a second you were the Naga with those teeth you have there." The look of hurt in her eyes made him instantly regret his words. "Terra, I didn't mean..." In an instant, she Morphed back into her human form, and the only part of her that looked the same was her eyes. _They're beautiful eyes, not monster's eyes... _Shadow thought. _She doesn't understand how beautiful she is..._

"It's okay, I didn't mean to scare you...I know that my Esper form is a little frightening..." Terra helped him sit up a little, and with her free hand, she whistled for the chocobos, hoping that they hadn't run all the way back to Mobliz in terror. Not to mention they carried all their supplies that they would need for the rest of the journey.

"Nah, it's not frightening, just surprising 'cause I've only seen you that way a few times. I heard your voice and was expecting green hair, not pink." He grinned roguishly at her, trying to lighten the mood, but to no avail, she just avoided making eye contact with him. He pushed himself into a kneeling position, and stood up slowly, still feeling a little woozy. He swayed a bit, but when Terra tried to help, he waved her off. "I'm fine, don't worry, just had my eardrums almost blown off by that snake." He dusted himself off, and looked over at Terra who was mimicking his actions. He then glanced over to the edge of the clearing when he heard the "Kweh" noises getting closer. "Sounds like the chocobos are back finally." Terra turned and a look of relief washed over her face. "That's a good chocobo Edgar gave you." Terra nodded, and went to meet them. Shadow followed. _And I thought I was the only one who gave silent treatments._

"What do ya mean, the Naga Witch was killed?" The loud booming voice could be heard through the thick door, where snickering henchmen were gathered to eavesdrop on the most recent report. Inside the room, there was a large desk made of gold and silver, and the man that had once been sitting in his huge leather chair was now standing over the cowering man who was seated in a smaller red chair. "Show me what happened..." His voice held a threatening tone.

"Y-y-yes sir!" The man's brow beaded with sweat as he pulled out the recording device, and his hands shook violently as he tried to connect it with a larger screen upon which to project the images. _Why is he so angry? It's not my fault that the stupid beast died..._ He thought to himself angrily, but he knew better than to say that to the Boss. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally finished plugging in the last connector. He sat there for a minute, wondering why there was no video, a blank look on his face that turned to utter horror when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"MOVE!!" The Boss shoved him out of the way and took the recorder from him. "All you had to do was press play you numbskull." He dramatically pointed his finger out and delicately pushed the button, as if to carefully demonstrate what the man should have done. "See?" He smiled evilly, and then pointed towards the door. "Get out!" Without a single sound, the man hurried out of the room, desperate to get away from the Boss and to the sanctuary of his bunk bed. "Finally, we can have some alone time." The video played back images of a man in black and a woman with green hair fighting his pet Naga, Janai. She appeared to have been winning up until the moment the screen started to become fuzzy. "What the..." The Boss hit the recorder in the hopes of making the visual clear again, but to no avail, it just became static. He became frustrated, and infuriated, and was about to call the man back into the room but right at that moment, it became clear again, and he could see a pink being hovering over the body of Janai. Then the creature flew over to the body of the man in black and transformed. "Whoa!" He rubbed his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real. The pink being had changed back into the woman with green hair. "Whoa!!" He was sad that Janai was dead, but now he knew something the enemy wouldn't expect him to have knowledge of at all. He paused the image of the two people standing next to each other.

"I know your secret..." He chanted under his breath.

It was slow going in the caves, and Terra was becoming exhausted, especially after Morphing. She always felt so drained after transforming, so it took a while to finally build up the energy to Morph again. It would be some time before she could do it again, and she hoped that she wouldn't need it anytime soon. Terra had said little to Shadow after the battle, and she truly wasn't mad at him, she was just frustrated with herself. True, his words had hurt her, but he was just being honest, and part of her knew that he hadn't meant it. But it still hurt.

"Terra?" Shadow had stopped a little ways behind her. "Did you hear me?" Terra looked back and shook her head. "We need to rest here, this is the last safe place and you look worn-out from earlier." He started tying up his chocobo and pulled out some wood they'd gathered earlier in case they'd have to camp in the caves. Terra also tied Ed up, and filled his and Hal's bowls up with feed and water. She set up her sleeping area relatively close to the fire so she could stay warm, and she began to undo her hair from its ponytail since it hadn't been properly taken care of since she set out with Shadow a few days ago. Shadow began cooking dinner as soon as the fire was going, and Terra brushed out her hair while sitting on her sleeping bag.

Shadow glanced over at Terra, who had decided to make herself at home right next to where he was working, and almost burnt himself by continuously glancing over at her. _Dammit, why did she have to start brushing her hair right there?_ She looked over at him and smiled a bit, though it was a sad smile. His face felt hot, but he figured he could use the fire as his excuse for being red. He couldn't stop looking at her lithe form, her lean muscular arms gently stroking her hair with hand and brush. Her beautiful green hair, that smelled so wonderful, like a field of flowers...

"OW!!" Shadow yelped as he yanked his hand away from the leaping flames that threatened to engulf his whole hand. Terra was at his side immediately, her eyes filled with worry.

"What is it?" She asked. "A wound from earlier?" She referred to the battle or maybe farther back still. Shadow blushed furiously.

"No..." He studied his hand VERY carefully. "I just burnt myself...on the pan..." Terra smiled a little bit, and then began to giggle. Her giggle transformed into a laugh that echoed through the cave, and she wiped away her tears of joy once her side stopped aching.

"I'm sorry...It's just that I was so worried..." She said apologetically. "Then it turns out I was being so worried for nothing!"

"What do you mean, nothing? My hand hurts!" His tone was serious, but the smile on his face gave him away. "Just for that, you have to make the rest of dinner!" He grabbed a water satchel and poured some cold water over the small burn, soothing it until it almost stopped throbbing.

Terra made a dinner of eggs and cornmeal, which wasn't much in the way of taste, but they gobbled it up like it was a gourmet meal. The chocobos settled down into their makeshift nest of blankets, and Terra was getting ready to climb into her sleep roll.

"I wanted to apologize..." Shadow was setting up his bed near Terra's. "For earlier I mean. That was uncalled for, and I'm sorry." Terra was shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. She was speechless. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"But...I...You..." Terra struggled to form a cohesive sentence. "Shadow, I know, and you don't need to apologize. I guess I still overreact about those things. I just have to accept the fact that I'm half monster..."

"You're not half monster." Shadow said, a little forcefully. "There isn't a bit of monster in you at all. Anyone who looks into your eyes can tell that."

"But..."

"But nothing! Trust me on this. Anyone who says otherwise...I'll...I'll kick their ass." Terra almost giggled, but she realized that he was serious. "Anyways, my point is, just because you're different doesn't mean you're a monster. Look, people are always afraid of things that are different, so there're bound to be a few that are going to be afraid of you. They may call you a monster, but that's not really why they're afraid of you. Understand?" Terra nodded tentatively. "Well," Shadow sighed. "I guess I'm just no good at explaining..." He stopped suddenly when he saw Terra's eyes welling up with tears. He stood up and walked over to where she was sitting, staring into the fire. He sat down next to her and put his arm around Terra's shoulder in an effort to comfort her. She turned to look at him, surprise written on her face.

"I'm sorry, Shadow, I just..."

"Shhh..." He put a finger over her lips. "Don't worry about it. Just remember that your friends accept you for who and what you are, so you have nothing you ever need to worry about." She threw herself into his arms, hugging him close, rubbing her cheek on his strong shoulder, seeking comfort she was afraid to ask for. He hugged her back, but then pushed her away from him a little. He stopped however, when he looked into her green eyes, her hair framing her fair face, and her lips pouty and luscious from crying. "Terra...I..."

She leaned in closer to close the gap between them, and he bent his head a little, moving tentatively, thinking somewhere in the back of his clouded mind that he shouldn't lose control, that he shouldn't... _Ah, what the hell..._

He sealed the space between them by lightly touching his lips to hers, feeling the softness that waited for him there. He heard her gasp slightly, almost a happy sound, and she kissed him back, leaning in closer and increasing the pressure of her lips on his.

Terra felt her heart racing, the blood pounding in her ears, her hands trembling ever so slightly when she sought out his hand and grasped onto it. Her other hand found its way to the back of his neck, lightly stroking and gently caressing. Their kiss deepened, and she felt his tongue graze her lips, and she responded with her own tongue, until they were kissing so deeply that they had to pull apart to gasp for air.

They looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment, then Terra felt Shadow's rough hand lightly push on the back of her head, bringing her mouth to his once again. He ran his hand through her long green hair, feeling its gentle softness as it flowed down her back. He roughly pulled her onto his lap, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, freely giving herself to him as she felt her heart skip several beats.

"Terra..." His voice husky with desire, Shadow broke off a kiss suddenly and looked into her eyes. "If you tell me to stop, I will."

"I know." Terra smiled and leaned in to lock lips with him yet again.

"Your...eyes..." Shadow struggled to speak in between smooches. "Your eyes are...so beautiful..." She silenced him again this time by pushing him back onto the sleeping bag.

The chocobos slept soundly, despite the rustlings of the sleeping bag.


End file.
